I can’t speak enough about waiting on the Lord and trusting Him to work everything out. Even though I know that I should, it can be hard to default to a place in which I don’t worry. Why do our minds always play tricks on us when it comes to that? In trying to embark on these new ideas with a blog, etc., I can’t help but feel worried about not being successful, or compare myself to other established blogs and Instagram pages. It’s foolish, but I do it.
I just wrote a post about waiting on the Lord, and trusting that He has a plan for each of us. Yet once I do get to that point of being excited/trusting of His plans for me, my mind still tricks me into wanting instant success. We all know the saying, “Rome wasn’t built in a day”. And it’s true! There are rare instances where something takes off quickly for someone, and the Lord can allow that. But more often than not, we have to work hard for success. Yet often we are so discouraged by a lack of instant success or the fear of failure that we either don’t get started, or we fail to continue through the process of working to achieve success. It takes time, ambition, hard work, perseverance.
The Lord wants us to work hard. And He also doesn’t want us to compare ourselves to others in the process. It can be good to seek guidance and inspiration from others, but I’m talking about unhealthy comparisons. Starting a new Instagram page and blog is fun, but it’s daunting! I constantly compare myself to people who have had their pages established for years. It’s just foolish! It’s not an apples to apples comparison. Everyone starts with zero Instagram followers, zero blog readers/subscribers. One very successful blogger recently explained the reality of her beginnings, pointing out that at first only her parents and boyfriend read her blog. Over the course of eight years, it has grown to have a tremendous following.
I say this just to remind myself, and encourage you, to not let the enemy discourage us or trick us into negative thinking or low self-esteem in whatever endeavors the Lord is guiding us to pursue. We need to look to Him always, not at people around us. We need to look to Him and listen to Him instead of Satan’s whispers and our doubts and emotions.
Stay strong in whatever phase you are at in your life right now. Whether you’re scared to start something new or need to continue in something that you have already established in your life, don’t give up. Don’t lose focus. Don’t make unhealthy comparisons to others. Persevere and do your best according to the Lord’s leading.